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Chapter 3 – Hunter

“Thank you, Dottie. I’ll look into it,” I hang up the phone with an aggravated sigh.

I do not need this today. It’s burger day at Dottie’s, which makes it much more disappointing that she called and informed me I would be missing out on my favorite meal. Now, there’s an issue I have to attend to immediately.

“What was that about?” my younger sister Ginger asks innocently from where she sits across from me.

Her legs are crossed nonchalantly, and her ridiculously impractical heels sway with the light bobbing of her foot. Normally, she doesn’t bother me during lunch, especially on Burger Day. But for some reason, she decided to just ‘pop in to say hello.’

Ginger does a lot of work for the town through my office, but most of it is remote from her home office. She doesn’t need to physically come into the office for any reason. I think she’s doing it just to annoy me. It must be my lucky day because now I have two things annoying me: my sister and the report of a suspicious male elf checking into the motel.

We don’t get many elves in town, especially now that Vincent has failed to get me to sell my land to him; elves areunwelcome visitors. Truthfully, they’re never really welcomed in Snowberry but more tolerated.

Elves are the scum of the non-human world, sticking mostly to large cities where they can swindle and steal to their heart’s content. Most don’t bother us here in our small, quiet town in the woods. There are a few in residence, but they don’t partake in the crooked ways of their brethren. We still tend to closely watch them after they settle here, but those here have been for years.

This newcomer staying in the motel is undoubtedly one of Vincent’s crew. Here to scout out new tactics to force me to sell or cause mayhem. I don’t know why he has become so interested in our town and my property lately, but he’ll never get an acre.

Whoever the mayor is always has their name on the deed to the land the majority of the town sits on. But I also happen to own the hundreds of acres bordering the town. The land has been in my family for generations, even before the town was built and established. We used it as a retreat for training our young to shift and hunt. As a place to escape the cities and return to our true form during the full moon and lunar eclipse. With so much of the world being modernized and developed, we thought it best to keep a piece untouched and hidden, just for us.

As time went on, though, it became clear we weren’t the only species of non-humans who wished this, so the town was built here to become home to those who prefer a bit more freedom to be their true selves away from busy modern society.

I will defend this town and its residents with every breath in my body until the day I die. Neither I nor anyone in my family will ever sell our land to an elf. Especially one known for his illegal drug business.

I refocus on my sister while still waiting for a response. I weigh the pros and cons of telling her about the elf. It could cause gossip and concern around town, but if I don’t tell her,the gossip will be astronomical, and I’ll have to listen to one of Ginger’s rants about keeping her informed. She’s the resident hacker and know-it-all, so if anyone should know the elf is here, it should be her. Hell, she might already know about him.

“Dottie reported seeing a male elf check in to the motel. Someone she’s never seen before and is concerned.”

“Oh. Are you going to go over there and see what it’s all about?”

Why does she sound so pleased with the idea? And why isn’t she giving me the third degree right now? I raise an eyebrow at her, but she doesn’t flinch; she just smiles at me in a way that I can’t read. It could be genuine, but it could be a front. I can never tell.

“Yes. At least to get a name. Maybe introduce myself and welcome him to town. You know, just being the hospitable mayor.”

I give my sister my best mayoral smile. She chuckles and fiddles with the rings on her fingers.

“Sure. Cause we all know howhospitableyou can be,” she says sarcastically.

Ginger knows exactly how I feel about unexpected newcomers in town. I hate them. I like to know when non-humanandhuman visitors arrive. Most unexpected arrivals are passing through, lost, or looking for a place to hide.

Usually, Ginger knows before anyone when there’ll be new people in town, with her constant searching and sweeping of the internet. All non-human residents also know to inform her or the mayor’s office when they have family and friends visiting. The only time we have an influx of unknown people is during the lunar eclipse when shifters somehow find their way to us and just show up for the week or weekend. Spending just enough time to shift and run and usually fuck.

“I don’t know why there’s an elf sniffing around town, but I’m going to find out. And then make him leave. We don’t need any of their nonsense, only weeks away from the blood moon.”

“I heard that. Last time wasn’t so great.”

I cringe a little at the reminder. She’s referring to a few years ago, not long after I became mayor. We weren’t exactly prepared for all the horny unruly shifters to flood the town, and things got a bit out of hand. We had to dust all the humans in town and alter their memories so none of them would call The Inquirer or FBI to report monstrous wolf creatures taking over the town.

I’ve been mayor of Snowberry for just over five years now, and although I’ve settled into a nice rhythm, it still feels a little unreal. I’m the alpha shifter, leader of all the shifters in town, and responsible for the safety and security of all non-humans—and by default, humans—under my care as mayor. As it has been the responsibility of all alpha shifters throughout history.

Being mayor just makes it easier for humans to accept the alpha’s presence and involvement everywhere. However, dealing with all the other day-to-day responsibilities of being mayor isn’t the most desirable.

At twenty-five, I was a bit young to be a mayor, but no age is too young to be an Alpha. It all depends on when a new alpha is needed, and the abilities and markers appear in that shifter. The last alpha had held the position for almost sixty years. Although he still had plenty of life left in him, his time in command was over.

Most people thought my older brother Ryder would become alpha since he is the oldest and far more mature, but he never developed the alpha power. Now, he’s my beta and second in command, as well as the town sheriff. It suits him and his stern personality.

Our jobs and responsibilities have changed drastically over the centuries, but one thing will always remain. We are charged with keeping any and all non-humans in our pack safe. And now, in this new world where we are hidden from humans, it is also to protect our non-human identities.

“Well, I suppose you better get a move on then. Don’t want to leave our new visitor unattended and wandering town alone. Who knows what kind of trouble he could get into.”